Cornmeal-separator.



Y m. 642,43I.

(No Modal.)

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Patented 1an. so, umu.l c. T. cuMmNGs.

(Applimion mad my a, 1899.)

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Gmane/n 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS THEODORE CUMMIN GS, OF WALTERBOROUGH, SOUTH CARO- LINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO W. B. GRUBER, OF SAME PLACE.

CORNNI EAL- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,431, dated January 30, 1900.

Application led May 3, 1899.

To all whom it may concer-71,:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS THEoDoEE OUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Walterborough, in the county of Colleton and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cornmeal-Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for separating cornmeal from the grist and husk, and has for its obj ect the production of a machine by which this separation may be accomplished in one operation.

My invention consists in the novel devices hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure l represents a side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the pivoted beater by which the material passing over the screen is prevented from clogging.

My machine comprises a vibratory frame A,

supported upon pairs of springs A A2, so bent as to permit of'very rapid vibration of said frame. The forward supporting-springs A are comparatively short and are fixed upon a cross-piece e, mounted upon the forward uprights E of the base-frame, while the rear supporting-springs A2 are comparatively long and are xed upon a cross-pieoee2, mounted between or upon the horizontal base-timbers E2. A second pair of uprights Esare mounted upon the base-timbers E2 near the rear end, and a pair of upper side timbers E4 are rigidly mounted upon these uprights E and E3, and these upper side timbers E4 support the operative parts of the. machine, as will hereinafter more fully appear. The structure is strengthenedk and stiffened by means of diagonal bracefrods E5, secured at their ends to the forward uprights E and the base-timbers E2, respectively. Across the forward ends of the upper timbers E4 a shaft B is journaled in bearings b, and the shaft has a pair of eccentrios b4 thereon, upon which eocentrics YSerial No. 715,439. (No model.)

boxings C are mounted and connected by arms O with the forward end of the vibratory frame A. Rotation of the shaft B imparts vibration to the frame A through the arms C', connected to the eccentrics bo, as hereinbefore described. The throw of the eccentries is slightsay not more than an inch-so that the shaft B may be rotated very rapidly, imparting a rapidvibratory or quivering motion to the frame A, which is allowed by the supporting-springs A' and A2, upon which said frame is supported.

A pulley B2 is mounted upon one end of the shaft B and may be driven by a belt B8 from any suitable source of power for running the machine, while atthe other end of said shaft is mounted another pulley, over which runs a belt B4. This belt also runs over a pulley D, mounted upon one end of a shaft D', mounted in boxing d beneath the upper timbers E4. Upon this shaft is mounted a fan D2, the whole being inclosed by a casingvDS, having openings d0 in its ends for drawing in air through and having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined air-outlet spout D0, the said casing D3 being supported in position by means of brackets D47 mounted upon the timbers E4. This casing remains stationary during the vibration of the frame A, as will be hereinafter referred to.

Within the frame A are formed a longer hopper A3 and a shorter hopper A4, the longer hopper beingat the front end and the shorter hopper being at the rear end, and the whole frame having a slight rearward inclination, as shown. Each hopper has a double -inclined bottom and central outlet-opening, as seen at d2 and d4, and they are fitted with deli very-troughs A5 and A4, respectively, the said troughs having a slight inclination to their open ends. p y

A screen A7 of 'fine mesh is mounted in the hopper A4, the said screen being pivoted at its rear end upon a cross-rod a7, upon which is also pivoted the forward end of a smaller screen A8 of large mesh, mounted in the hopper A4, as seen in Fig. 3. In their normal positions the two screens A? and A8 have an inclination approximately the same as that of the general rearward inclination of the vibratory frame,bein g supported at their swinging ends upon cross-shafts A9 and AX, which shafts, however, are provided with enlarge- IOO ments or cranks as and d8, as shown, by means of which the inclination of the screens may be varied as desired to suit the condition of the material being treated.

The shafts A9 and AX have crank-arms a9 and (LX at one end, by means of which they may be turned for varying the inclination of the respective screens, as desired. These crank-arms engage corrugated spring bars or plates as and con, by`which they are held at the desired adjustment. From beneath the central longitudinal brace Af of the ne screen A7 is pivotally suspended a doubleheaded beater F, which when the frame A is in vibration will swing back and forth upon its pivot f, and its heads f' will impart successive sharp blows upon the said timber, tending to loosen any material that may adhere to the meshes of the screen.

This beater is made adjustable vertically bya series of openings fo, formed for the passage of a pin fX in the legs of the supportingbracket F0,which incloses and is secured upon the said central longitudinal brace Af of the screen, as shown.

The air-delivery spout D0 extends through a transverse opening I-I in the rear wall of the small hopper A, but does not contact therewith or with any part of the vibratory frame, as this would interfere With the vibrations thereof. This spout D0 conveys the blast of air from the fan into the hopper A4, and the said blast is directed to the proper portion of the screen AS by means of the deflector-plates I and I', mounted upon shafts 'i and t", pivoted transversely of the frame A. These shafts have crank-arms I2 and I3 for adjusting the plates, and these crank-arms engage withcorrugated spring-plates I4 and I5, by means of which the defiectors are held at desired adjustments.

The openings in the ends of the fan-casing may be enlarged or made smaller to regulate the draft of air by means of shutters S,which may be of any suitable construction.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The meal as it comes from the mill containing the grist and husk falls upon the upper end of the screen A7, which is being vibrated with the frame A, driven by the arms C', engaging the eccentrics bo on the shaft B. The

fine meal falls through thescreen AT as the mass of material passes from the upper to the lower end thereof, falling into the hopper A3, where it passes through the opening as, in the bottom thereof,into the discharge-trough A, from which it passes into a suit-able receptacle provided therefor, the vibratory motion of the frame A insuring the delivery of the meal from the said trough. The pivoted beater F at the same time by its successive blows upon the under side of the screen A7 prevents the accumulation of any of the rnaferial upon the screen, which would be likely to happen, especially if the meal be green or damp. The fine meal having passed through the meshes of the screen A7, the grist and husk pass onto the screen A8 oflarger mesh, Where the grist will pass through into the hopper A4 and be delivered through its bottomopening a4 and trough a5, while the husk passes over the end of the screen A8.

During the operation of the machine the fan D2 is being driven from the shaft B through the belt B4, and this fan forces a cur rent of air through its spout D0 into the rear of the hopper A4. This blast of air is deflected to the screen AS by means of pivoted deflectorplates I and I', so that the husks are loosened from the screen and the latter kept clear.

The screens may be set at inclinations best adapted for the treatment of the material by means of the cranked shafts A9 and Ax,which cause the material to pass more rapidly or more slowly, as desired, over the respective screens.

The shaft B should be rotated at a comparatively high `rate of speed-say from tive hundred to one thousand revolutions to the minute-which imparts to the vibratory frame a practically constant quivering motion, thus insuring a thorough sieving action of the screens.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent of the United States, `is

l. In a separator, the combination with a vibratory frame containin ga plurality of horizontally-adjacent hoppers and means for vibrating said frame; of a plurality of screens of dierent mesh pivoted end to end Within said frame over said hoppers; means for varying the inclination of said screens; a rotary fan mounted upon a rigid support arranged to directa blast of air to the under side of one of said screens 3 a double-headed beater within one of said hoppers provided with a central perforation, abracket for supporting said beater adapted to be suspended from the frame of one of said screens, the legs of which are provided with a series of perforations,

'and a pin adapted to pass through said perforations, substantially as described.

2. Ina separator, a double-headed beater provided with a central aperture, a bracket provided with means of support, perforations at opposite points in the legs of said bracket, and a pin adapted to `t said perforations and aperture, substantially as described.

3. In a separator, a double-headed beater F provided with a central perforation, a bracket F0 provided at its upper end with a rectangular portion adapted to be fastened upon the frame of said separator, the lower portion of said bracket comprising legs provided with a series of corresponding perforations fo and a pin f adapted to fit said apertures, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CORNELIUS 'IIIEODORE CUMMINGS. lVitnesses:

W. B. GRUBER, JAS. E. PEURIFOY.

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